BI351 History of Biblical Interpretation I: Second Temple Judaism through the Reformation
Overview
In BI351 Dr. Bray explores the history of the text of the Bible and biblical interpretation. He examines the concept of the Bible as self-revelation—a record of the encounters people had with God, which presents a message to be received by faith. He also covers the importance of the Word being communicated and understood, and the value of the discipline of interpretation as a means of bringing people to truths beyond what they are able to discover on their own.
Top Highlights
“On the contrary, the Bible is the record of an encounter, of an encounter which various people have had with God. This encounter has not come from them, but from God, who has revealed Himself to them. Revelation is therefore the central concept, the central idea, behind Scripture. And we need to understand what revelation is if we are going to interpret the Bible correctly.” (source)
“‘Revelation’ is a word that means ‘unveiling’; it means ‘taking away,’ taking off something, something which has been hidden. The implication of this is that unless this is done, unless the covering is taken off, unless we have a way of penetrating deeper than the surface, we will not be able to find this out for ourselves. The truths which are contained in the Bible go beyond what people can discover by their own efforts.” (source)
“If God did not do this, if He did not reveal Himself to us, we would not know who He is.” (source)
“His main approach is to interpret it literally and historically—in a sense that Jesus Christ came along has fulfilled the meaning of the law and so that, therefore, we are set free to live in the way that God had originally intended Israel to live.” (source)
“Of all the books of the nt, Hebrews has the strongest claim to be regarded as a commentary on the ot.” (source)
- Title: BI351 History of Biblical Interpretation I: Second Temple Judaism through the Reformation
- Author: Gerald Bray
- Series: Logos Mobile Education
- Publisher: Lexham Press
- Print Publication Date: 2016
- Logos Release Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Courseware
- Subjects: Bible › Criticism, interpretation, etc.--History; Education › Bible--Criticism, interpretation, etc.--History
- Resource ID: LLS:BI351BRAY
- Resource Type: Courseware Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-02-11T17:15:36Z
Dr. Gerald Bray is Research Professor of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL, and Distinguished Professor of Theology at Knox Theological Seminary, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
He was born and raised in Montreal, Canada, where he did his undergraduate work at McGill University. He completed his doctoral studies at the Sorbonne in Paris and went on to study theology in Cambridge. In 1978 he was ordained in the Church of England and served a parish in London for two years before going on to teach at Oak Hill College in London. He has been at Beeson since 1993.
Dr. Bray is the editor of the Anglican journal Churchman and has published a number of books, including the award-winning Biblical Interpretation: Past and Present (InterVarsity Press, 1996), Yours Is the Kingdom: A Systematic Theology of the Lord's Prayer(InterVarsity Press, 2007), God Is Love (Crossway, 2012), and his most recent work, God Has Spoken: A History of Christian Theology (Crossway, 2014).
Dr. Bray speaks several languages fluently. He has lived in Germany, Greece, and Russia, and he has taught in several European countries and Australia. He can often be found in one of the archives of the Church of England, researching parts of its history, on which he has also published a number of important works. He is also an avid swimmer and cyclist.